In cheese making processes, the whey is drained from the curds and the whey can contain a substantial portion of curd fines. As the curd fines represent a valuable product, various types of separators and screens have been used in the past to separate the fines from the whey, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,942,343 and 3,071,860. In general, vibratory screens and dewatering screens have been used in the past to recover fines and in devices of this type the fines are normally exposed to air and therby tend to dry and clump together, resulting in a change in texture and color. Because of this, it is not normally possible to return the fines to the cheese making vat, because they produce an unacceptable change in texture and color in the cheese, thereby downgrading the cheese. Therefore, curd fines, after separation from the whey, are separately packaged and sold as a non-premium, lower priced product.